The grants, totaling $1.2 million, were among 32 awarded this week by the Geothermal Technologies Office within the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Among the metals PNNL will focus on are rare earth metals, which are used in many modern electronic devices, including electric vehicle motors and LED lights. But rare earth metals, such as europium and neodymium, are in limited supply and are often found in unstable parts of the world.
Developing sources of rare earth metals in the United States that are sustainable and inexpensive can help America manufacture more of its own clean technologies, according to PNNL.
In one project, a team led by PNNL will develop nanoparticles with a magnetic core and a nanomaterial shell that bonds with rare earth metals to remove them from geothermal brine.
In the second project, a team led by PNNL will harvest not only rare earth metals, but also explore collecting trace levels of other valuable metals from geothermal brine.
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